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Complete PICLE corpus of essays by Polish advanced EFL students (330,000)
/^t/Firstly, joining cult or belonging to subculture creates for a young, inexperienced person the possibility to find an easy answer to a question "what is the purpose of life". A person who does not have any established hierarchy of values, and whose life is a source of confusion longs for any kind of order, a set of rules that would enable him or her to lead a happy life. Consequently, popularity of cults among the young comes from the fact that a philosophy propagated by a given cult makes the impression of a ready-made "recipe" for a problem-free and meaningful life. What's more a confused youngster is the first one who will desperately search for an easy remedy or a guide who will set a definite purpose in his or her life. An example that can be useful here, may be Shoko Ashahara's follower - often highly educated people who were attracted to him by his promises of achieving inner peace by means of self-enlightenment. The same phenomenon can be observed in case of young people who decide to join skinheads whose philosophy is known for its radicalism and an overt aggression. The young's interest in skinheads' philosophy may be partly explained by the fact that this particular subculture has clearly defined code of rules in which the division between good and bad is explicit. Thus, if one follows the most radical slogans typical for skins, one can learn and believe that these are the color immigrants and minorities of all kinds that are to blame for confusion and disorder in one's life. In fact, a clearly defined enemy may not bring the meaning to one's life but at least, it is good to know on whom to exert anger. Therefore, it may be said that these are the tempting promises and catchy slogans that appeal most to people who search for a purpose in life, Consequently, words are the most powerful means of persuading people to join cults.